Review Summary: summer of gaze
While Graywave makes shoegaze that is decidedly
shoegaze, the mysterious artist’s second EP
Rebirth shows versatility unlike many contemporaries. Across its five tracks, the record ticks off all the necessary boxes of certified Good Gaze. There’s lush guitars, dissonant drums, fuzzy everything: you get the vibe. Yet, Jess Webberley’s voice isn’t all that subdued: their vocals carry a sense of urgency, with clear gothic tinges affording verses and choruses alike their soaring properties. Besides this,
Rebirth bathes its textures in subtle synths and ambient sounds, guiding the excellent openers ‘Build’ and ‘Rebirth’ steadily towards the realm of ethereal wave while remaining rooted in a delightful shroud of darkness. Elsewhere, the aptly titled ‘Closer’ shows Graywave at their most intense: while encompassing plenty of
reverb-soaked sparkles and glimmers, the song comprises a five-minute epic that takes its time building and subsequently unfolding into a wonderfully distorted and disjointed conclusion. While it’s a shame that the EP ends on such a high, it also displays the fact that Graywave are more than ready to explore all their unique tendencies, whether dark or light, across a full length album. Sooner rather than later, please.
